Sweden’s bid can’t hinge on F-16s, John Sarbanes tells Kathimerini
Ankara must stop making Sweden’s NATO membership conditional on the US agreeing to sell it F-16 fighter aircraft, according to John Sarbanes, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MD) and a leading advocate for Greek interests on the American stage, in an interview with Kathimerini.
In an interview ahead of a symposium he took a part in, Sarbanes said Sweden’s accession is the first step, but further changes must precede any arms agreement.
He insisted furthermore that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must move away from the “Blue Homeland doctrine, stop overflights in the Aegean and restore human rights.”
Sarbanes participated in Power and Purpose: A Symposium on Mental Health and Democratic Agency, hosted by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute of Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday.
The toleration of provocative behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean weakens the Alliance and sends contradictory messages to foes and allies, Sarbanes said. Referring to the atmosphere in the United States in the wake of Erdogan’s electoral victory, he stressed that his credibility is still at rock bottom.
However, he welcomed his recent statements that seem to deviate from the Turkish strongman’s usual defiance, “but with Erdogan, you have to wait and see.”
